Hashim Thaci

Hashim Thaci (24 April 1968-) was Prime Minister of Kosovo from 9 January 2008 to 9 December 2014, succeeding Agim Ceku and preceding Isa Mustafa and President of Kosovo from 7 April 2016, succeeding Atifete Jahjaga.

Biography
Hashim Thaci was born on 24 April 1968 in Brocna, Skenderaj, Yugoslavia. Thaci studied philosophy and history at the University of Pristina, and in 1993 he became a member of the inner circle of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) soon after their formation. He was considered to be the "voice of reason" of the KLA by Western diplomats in 1999 during the Rambouillet negotiations, but he was accused of smuggling cocaine and heroin into Europe to fund the KLA. Thaci was also accused of smuggling organs and being involved with Albanian organized crime, but none of the allegations were ever proven. Thaci was elected as Prime Minister of Kosovo on 9 January 2008 upon Kosovo's independence from Serbia, and he served as Prime Minister for six years. In 2016, he was elected as President of Kosovo, and on 26 February 2016 he was elected as the next President of Kosovo, to take office on 7 April.